Open the flood gates and sound the alarms, Generation Z is officially in college. But with this new generation entering higher education, colleges and universities must keep up with the ever-changing and always upgrading technology of the 21st century.

Here are a few characteristics of Generation Z: they are more focused on interactive and hands-on learning methods; they are career oriented and they are entrepreneurs. People born into Gen Z have high expectations about their futures and take on a more global perspective of awareness and understanding. This is, in part, due to the technology that has been integrated into their everyday lives since childhood, including education, entertainment and even politics.

Gen Z students tend to thrive when opportunities for immersive learning are presented, and they enjoy being challenged in academic settings. Digital learning tools are deeply integrated into how students are taught now and their expectations of what education should include.

Associate professor of education Dr. Leigh Shannon Haley-Mize shed some light on how the education field has changed due to recent technology required for Gen Z students.

With technology developing, “educators are able to provide a wider variety of content, support students with various learning needs and craft more participatory experiences,” Mize said. Students are now able to interact with other students not just across the country, but around the world. Students are also encouraged to be the creators of their own innovative and imaginative content, rather than solely being consumers.

Methods of integrating technology into education are complex and important resources that education majors at Elizabethtown College are being taught can inspire and understand better a younger generation.

“In order to support teacher candidates at Etown in gaining those skills, the education department integrates technology in many ways across the curriculum,” Mize said.

“In addition to a stand-alone educational technology course, professors model use of digital tools to teach content and require candidates to use technology to complete assignments.”

Technology is a large part of how students interact with professors and complete assignments outside of the classroom. Platforms such as Canvas and Twitter allow students to be interactive in their own academic journey. Many of these digital tools give students the opportunity to create original and compelling content.

At Etown, upgrades in buildings such as Nicarry and Wenger Halls have been integrated to suit the needs of students in any and all majors. Nicarry has improved the technology in its classrooms to correlate with courses that deal with audio and visual elements as well as more traditional methods.

Within the past year, Wenger has upgraded its central “hub” to include computers that have programs such as Publisher and Photoshop and a book scanner to encourage students to think outside of the box for projects and assignments and not be limited by outdated technology.

The “hub” is run by Carol Ouimet, who is a resource for students interested in using or learning more about the programs, even if they have no prior experience.

“Technology is ever evolving, so it is important that Etown continuously explores new tools and harness these tools for inclusive teaching methods,” Mize said.

“This is vital not just to enhance the classroom experience, but to ensure that students are prepared to be active, engaged citizens that can effectively navigate the 21st century workforce.”